All posts by Daniel Bende

Designs and creates under the trade name DFB-ceramics hand-thrown stoneware figurative ceramics.
Inspiration, Personally

From a handful of clay… Dreams Become Reality

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A handful of clay is enough to make dreams come true… An old potter’s proverb from Bunzlau (“der Stadt des Guten Tons“) compares ploughing a field to throwing on the potter’s wheel. Both is hard work, but also the way to proudly earn your living.

The earth is my acre
The wheel is my plough
I’m a potter maker
That gives me my bread now

(Historical potter’s proverb from Bunzlau, translated from German*)

Our stories arise between dream and reality. Stories of happiness and beauty. Stories from yesterday and thousands of years ago…

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Inspiration, Personally

Handmade Ceramics Packaging, There is A Smell To It

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The 21st century calls for a revolutionary modernization of handmade ceramics packaging. Online business is booming. Buying and selling handmade ceramics online also means storage, packing and shipping.

Since I opened my online shop on this site, I don’t just ship ceramics. I also need to store and manage my inventory.

Okay, I’m not an Amazon or Bol.com, so for me, no large-scale logistics infrastructure. I’m just looking for a simple way to store and send my work. Especially for cups, mugs and small bowls I don’t have a good storage system yet.

So it’s about time for finding a safe and future-proof way of handmade ceramics packaging and storage. For our future, I take my inspiration from the past.

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Inspiration, Personally

Why I need a Pottery Firing devil

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What a pottery firing devil is? That’s the spirit who protects the ceramic kiln from dark influences. It’s the protector of pots who are about to endure the hellish fire.

Why do I need one? Well, I can explain that to you. But let me begin with a potter’s prayer from almost 3,000 years ago to Athena, goddess of crafts:

“Grant that the potters may get great gain and grant me so to sing to them.

But if you become shameless and make false promises, then I call together the destroyers of kilns, Syntribos (Shatter) and Smaragos (Smash) and Asbetos (Char) and Sabaktes (Collapse) and Omodamos (Melt) who can bring this craft much mischief.”

From: Homer’s Epigrams, Fragment 14 (Greek epic, 8th or 7th century BC)

Threatened by the five devils of pottery disaster, I had no choice but to take protective measures. It’s about time I made my own ceramic firing devil.

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Firing, Technique

Ceramic Bisque Firing, a kiln full of promises

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The ceramic bisque firing is the first firing in the ceramic process. It’s the transformation from clay into ceramics. It’s the essential intermediate step. Between hand-shaped clay and glazed work. After this firing, there is no turning back to the clay bin.

I hear people lyrically talking about their last raku firing. Tears of joy when digging for a pot from a pit fire. Trembling hands of anticipation when opening the kiln door after a glaze firing. But never exciting stories about the first firing. No cheers when the lid of a bisque kiln is lifted.

Bowls after bisque firing

The bisque firing is the step child of ceramics. But the firing process is magical– even a bisque.

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Opinion, Personally

From Clay to Cash, Make Quick Money with Ceramics

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From clay to cash is the trick of the trade …. the potter’s secret. Converting ceramics into hard currency is of course the goal of every potter. That’s nothing new.

But the secret how to convert porcelain directly into dough, was sent to me a few weeks ago by a reader of this blog. How can ceramists convert their clay into stone cold cash?

I’ve decided to share with you the rise of the ceramcoins. Fast money for all potter’s in need, ceramic emergency money.

In the international art trade, they do the same, but on a much larger scale…

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Glaze, News, Technique

Food safe ceramics: tightened EU laws coming up

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Food safe ceramics and glazes is a complex subject. On this topic glaze technologists, toxicologists, artists, craftsmen, industrialists, lawyers and legislators meet. And I’m sure I’ve forgotten a few more. It’s also a subject I’m dealing with. Not as a glaze technologist, but as a craft entrepreneur.

A well-balanced glaze is not only durable, it is also safe for everyday use. As is my functional pottery, in EU jargon FCMs (Food Container Materials).

This means that my ceramics/glazes comply with the current EU directive ‘ceramic articles intended to come into contact with foodstuffs’. But these EU laws may soon be tightened.

What are the consequences for me and other artisan potters in Europe? I had an interview about this last week by two researchers on behalf of the European Commission for Health and Food Safety.

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Inspiration, Technique

Ceramic Decals a beautiful technique and fortunately never perfect

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All techniques used in ceramics are fallible, including ceramic decals. That makes ceramics unique. And by that I really mean ceramics are always a “one-off”.

In ceramic industry, techniques are used that ensure products are very similar. But even in this well controlled environment there are always small (minimal) differences. In fact, there is always a percentage that fails due to “production errors”.

No matter how well the ceramist controls the process, failure in the production of ceramics is unavoidable. If the specifications do not fall exactly within the set frameworks, the product is irrevocably thrown onto the ceramics waste pile (the potter’s heartbreak).

And that’s fortunate, because these mountains of ceramic shards are invaluable for research into the history of ceramics. But that’s a whole different story.

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Clay, News, Technique

Tired of your old body? Get a new one! KBJ stoneware

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Tired of your old body? Try a new one! KBJ Stoneware, a new clay body from Valentine is more than worth a try. A few weeks ago I received a bag when I picked up my order of raw materials from my supplier Keramikos. I immediately wanted to sink my teeth into it ….. well, in a matter of speaking.

KBJ stands for Keith Brymer Jones, yes, the one from the Great Pottery Throw Down. Valentine Clays is a renowned clay producer from Stoke-On-Trent, at the heart of the English ceramics history.

Together they have developed a new “off white stoneware body” for throwing and hand forming. A clay mixed with Keith’s tears. A silky soft clay that melts under your hands, but can be fired from 1120 to 1280 C.

Rotate with Valentine KJB Stoneware Clay

Do you ever have the feeling you are ready for something new? Does your old body no longer feel like it used to? Then try a new one!

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Inspiration, Personally

NCECA 2021: A virtual embrace of the clay community

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NCECA is the Comic-Con for ceramicists. The AutoRai not for motorheads but creatives. In other words, Libelle’s (a typical Dutch women magazine) summer week on steroid, but with our US friends.

It is an annual five-day cultural, political and educational event where every ceramics enthusiast is welcome. A symposium, discussion arena, meeting place, breeding ground and much more.

No idea what I’m talking about? Then let me tell you what I so enjoyed to participate in the last few days… A huge international group of ceramics enthusiasts live together. But at a safe 6 feet distance.

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Inspiration, Personally

Small ceramic rituals make life great

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My day is full of small ceramic rituals. From my daily black coffee in a little faceted mug. Frothing matcha tea in a hand pinched bowl. My Sunday morning café latte in a big thrown cup with ear. I love the differences, visual, touch and feeling.

Living mindfully also means drinking with attention. Your hands feel the warmth of the liquid, your lips touch the edge, you recognize the aroma, your mouth feels. An intimate moment. Smell the tea, feel the heat flowing into your body, look through the misty glasses of your spectacles. Taste the bitterness of the coffee. See the world in new light. Enjoy the moment.

What makes an activity not a habit but a (small or large) ritual? What makes a ritual different from a tradition? Is there a distinction? I find that interesting questions, which I wanted to take a closer look at through one of my own ceramic rituals.

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Personally

My digital life with pottery making is a lot of hassle

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This week pottery making was all about my digital life. And no, I’m not referring to the time I put into Insta, Twitter or Facebook. No, I don’t mean working on my site or writing this blog either. No, I don’t even mean working on my webshop or product photography.

Then what am I talking about? The hassle you get with all the digital tools that you as a ceramicist can no longer do without… And this week I had more then my fair share.

After updating the firmware of my Bentrup WebBox (part of my kiln control), he only winked at me. That was not a good sign and something had to be done about it immediately. In addition, I wanted to transfer my dfb-keramiek.nl mailbox to the exchange server of outlook.

That sounds like a modest to-do list, but that caused quite a few problems last week. How was I supposed to fix that?

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Inspiration, Personally

Phil Rogers: “Potters need to know an awful lot”

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Phil Rogers, English “studio potter”, author and FB friend, died at the end of last year at the age of 69. A great loss for his family and friends, but also for the pottery community in the world.

Phil Rogers has taught us what good pottery can mean in our contemporary society. His rustic thrown and decorated vases, bottles, cups, plates and jugs showed his skill, respect for the material and the ceramic tradition. He has shaped the future of traditional ceramics in modern times.

“The drawback in pottery there is so much that can go wrong. Everey stage there is someting that can go wrong. We as potters […] have to know an awful lot”

(Goldmark documentary “Phil Rogers: Drawing in the Air” June 2016)

I have always taken it to heart that a terrible amount of knowledge is required to make ceramics….

Continue reading Phil Rogers: “Potters need to know an awful lot” →